Check Mate
by JuubiOokami
Summary: Roy’s just lost a game of Chess to Breda and he and his men all muse about which pieces they represent and the true, real bitter reason the Colonel can’t play the game. Roy Centric, with Ed concern. No Pairings unless you want. Slight ANGST


**Wah! I did some editing to this fic and reposted it. My reviewers pointed out that fact that Mustang knew how to play chess and was actually good at it. I was also aware of this and when I originally planned it, it was set in the past when he was learning. Then I realised that that didn't make any sense due to timing. So I did some changes so that it made more sense. **

**I love Roy so much, I think he's great and there should be seriously more fanfics about him!**

**Disclaimer – I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. **

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"Check Mate."

Mustang blinked in surprise and glanced up, his tired eyes catching with those of his subordinate. "Sorry?"

Breda let out a sigh. "I said you loose again Colonel." He stated with boredom as Roy looked up to him.

"Already?" He asked, confusion spread across his face as he counted the amount of his pieces Breda had placed along his side of the board compared to the number he had captured. "But I have far more of your players, how could you have-"

Breda rolled his eyes. "You set all of your players forward, being careful to loose as few as possible and whilst doing that you left your King unprotected. You weren't concentrating – it was easy to get you into check mate."

"Was it?" Mustang looked down and saw that indeed Breda had his king cornered between a Queen and a Rook. He was also unable to move diagonally because one of his own Pawns blocked his way.

"Honesty, the General said you were good at this game." Breda muttered, "But you've just lost three times in a row."

"Well I can't help it; this game is silly." He concluded and from behind him Havoc laughed.

"Yeah – that's what losers say." The blonde haired man chuckled and Mustang glanced around to him with a scowl.

"It is – it's not realistic at all. I used to enjoy it but now I can't play at all, it doesn't have any relevance to real life." He stated before turning back.

"Of course it does. It's about statagy – come on, you said that yourself when you started playing against the General." Havoc stood up a little straight as he spoke, shifting onto his other foot. The Colonel gave out a little grumble.

"I won't deny there's strategy to it – but that's just the strategy for the game, it has nothing to do with actual life. If it was meant to be realistic then why would you loose the whole game just because you lost your king; surely everybody doesn't drop dead if their ruler is killed."

Fuery smiled. "It's not really that they drop dead – probably more like they don't know what to do." He stated.

"It still doesn't make sense; it's not like every soldier on the field is a complete moron – there has to be one who can step into the Kings place. No one would abandon a battle or country _that_ easily." The man responded, crossing his arms as Breda thought about it for a moment.

"Well think of it like this – you're the king right."

"…I'm the king?" He raised his eyebrows and Ed scoffed to the side from where he was lounged in a chair.

"Don't say things like that Breda – his head will swell even more." He grinned and Roy shot Ed a disgusted look.

"Well I would be growing in one way at least, unlike a certain pipsqueak."

"**Who are you calling short!?**" Ed shouted as Al clamped his hand down on his older brother's shoulder to stop him launching himself at the Colonel who smirked and turned back to Breda.

"As you were saying?"

Breda sighed and shrugged. "Well the King is the one who commands the rest of the army. You as the player are basically the King and you command the rest of the chess board – so if you die then you can't carry on playing right."

"…Sorry but that's just the silly riles of the game, again I repeat - it's hardly realistic." Mustang frowned and Breda rolled his eyes.

"Ok…Think of your position as 'Colonel' as the same sort of thing as a 'King'. You can't really leave your post easily – you can only move one square at a time. However you have influences over your men who, through your orders, can do as you wish."

The Colonel's eyebrows quirked up as he thought of it from this angle and he nodded slowly, "I see; so perhaps the King isn't the ruler of an entire country, but rather a leader of a smaller platoon like your selves who are under his orders only."

"Right. So although the 'King' isn't the 'strongest' as such chess pieces wise, he's the only one who can keep the whole thing moving. Get what I mean?"

"Hey! Hold on a minute." Havoc suddenly interrupted, leaning forward. "If the Colonel get's to be the King I want a chess position!"

"What are you, three?" Breda retorted as Falman also approached, standing beside Fuery.

"He has a point. Where _would _we be if the Colonel was the position of King?" The white haired man leant in.

"If I was a chess piece I would probably be a pawn close to the king." Fuery stated, pointing to one of the said pieces near the centre. "I like working with lower ranks so that would suit me."

"Not got high ambition eh?" Falman smiled, "I wonder what I would be."

"The Rook." Ed stated, "You'd probably be the Rook, honest moving – forward and to the sides." The blonde got up and came over.

"In that case you and Al would be Bishops." Mustang laughed, "Moving all the way over the bored, side ways of the law."

"Hey!" Ed complained as the others all laughed and nodded in agreement.

"Now here's a hard one; what about Lt. Hawkeye?" Falman asked. The stern commanding woman had exited the room for a while to go and do some business and for that reason they were all lazing around.

"I would say she's the Queen – she's _constantly_ protecting the King!" Ed offered and they all laughed again.

"Well if you're all choosing then I guess I would be a Rook to." Breda shrugged, "I've always like it."

"That fits you, but what about you Lt. Havoc? You did bring this up after all." Al asked, looking to the smoker who was chewing his cigarette thoughtfully.

"Well, I would want to be a Knight." He opted, "It can only move to several places at a time, but it has the advantage of being able to jump over other pieces."

"Hah well Mr. Knight, look who I got." Breda picked up one of Mustang's Knights which he had killed pretty early on in the game.

"I'm not that one! I'm the other one." Havoc complained and Breda grinned.

"Oh yeah? Then who's this one?"

"Hughes." Mustang suddenly spoke and silence plagued across the room, sweeping like a cold watery curtain over everyone. Roy let out a sigh. "Hughes said that it was his favourite piece. We used to play it together and he would always say that it was because of the 'Knight' that he was always able to win…I used to enjoy it, be strategic and play all of my pieces to death so as to win…but now it's just stupid, it makes no sense. I look at this board now and I don't feel like I've lost at all, in-fact, I can't see how I could have if it was real."

Breda swallowed down his unease at the mention of the Colonel's dead best friend and spoke. "I've told you – your King is captured, you instantly loose the game."

"The game maybe, but what about real life; look at my other pieces." Mustang pointed each out individually. First the pawn near the centre, then the Rooks pushed safely to the side away from Breda's 'invasion.' Next he moved to the Bishops who were tucked ironically together in a corner, and finally to the Single Knight and Queen who were left. He withdrew his hand, his eyes almost sad. "All of my men are still alive, so why should it matter if the King dies? To protect everyone he certainly wouldn't mind."

There was a long silence and then someone swatting Roy gently over the back of the head with a paper file, causing him to turn.

"But what are the other pieces to do if they've lost their commander, eh?" Hawkeye asked gently and Mustang blinked up at her.

"Live." He responded.

"Oh they're still alive…but what can they do?" She asked, moving back toward her desk and averting her eyes. Roy's face softened and he turned back to Breda with a shrug.

"I'm a greedy man, made all the more greedy by things being taken from me." He stated, "It's why I can't play this game any more, not when I know how it feel to hate loosing things so much." He took the other Knight from Breda and held it in his hands for a minute before putting it down on the chess board.

Ed looked to the tall black haired man and gave out a gentle chuckle. "Well in that respect I guess Chess is an unrealistic and silly game. It doesn't allow for sinful human desires, and how much they can influence the outcome to a real battle." The blonde stood, "Besides Colonel even if it came to it you're too driven by human emotions and ambitions to ever be cornered in a real Check Mate."

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**Yay! Well, it was actually pretty lame. It's really just a little idea rather then a real story, but thought I'd post it anyway. Tell me what y'all think. :D**


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